British brewers began “imperializing” ales over 200 years ago. Stout and pale ale were re-formulated as stronger variations designed for export: Imperial stout and India pale ale. Imperial stouts were sent to the relatively nearby Baltic regions as a pure commodity; India pale ale to distant India to gratify British troops.

Porter is likely the world’s most confusing beer style. Attempting to unravel its inner secrets through diligent scholarship is futile: the more you study it, the more incomprehensible it becomes. A true shape-shifter of a beer, porter changes continually, generation after generation. In trying to decide what a porter should be today, the would-be porter... View Article

Few beers fit the season like a Baltic porter does winter and early spring. Siblings of the Imperial stouts, Baltic porters emanate from a swath of countries from Sweden to Poland, wending around the Baltic crescent and deep into eastern Europe. Descendants of the lineage of British porter exports in the 18th century, they range... View Article